March 30 2022
Oh how I love to photograph toddlers! When my kids were young, I took so many fun photos. But then they grew up and there were no more cake smashes or cute photo sessions. So sad. Don’t get me wrong, I am very happy to grow up with my kids and helping them navigate the teenage years. Watching them grow up to be the awesome people that they are has been fantastic. But… I can’t put them in buckets or put them in cute tutu outfits any more. LOL.
One thing that motivated me to start up my own business was the joy I got from photographing my kids and I wanted to help other parents preserve the memories of their children. And not to mention the fun of not only watching toddler’s figure out what this round thing is in front of their faces, but to listen to the laughter of mom as she watches her one year old eat cake for the first time! I become a part of their story and it’s such a privilege to be so.
I have photographed Sophia since she was a newborn. Watching a newborn grow up to her first birthday is very special and it was great to see her personality shine through during this cake smash session. Today she turns one!!
One thing I have learned over the years is to not fight with the littles if holding their favourite stuffy is the only way they’ll sit in the photo setup. Just go with it and years later, the memories of that stuffy may bring some smiles to faces!
Another thing I have learned and really enjoyed is seeing the different personalities shine through during the session. With Sophia, mom mentioned that she likes to have everything on the same level. She’ll knock down towers and line up the blocks on the floor so it wasn’t a surprise to mom that Sophia smashed down the cake to flatten it.
I started the session first with a few birthday portraits. Then, after an outfit change, went on to the cake smash session. I always have this little tiny worry that the toddler will start on the cake before I even make it back to my camera, but this has never happened as all the toddlers I’ve photographed have never had cake before, let alone haveing one sitting right in front of them. Slowly, but surely, the cake is first touched, then squished, and then-perhaps with a little help from mom- eaten. Check out these favourites of mine of Sophia eating her first cake.
My goal was to get the session finished in an hour and that was accomplished even after the bathtub session. I have this perfect metal tub, fill it with bubbles, and ask mom to blow bubbles into the scene. It’s a fun way to end the session.
I think cake smash photo sessions are my favourite! And, parents, if you are wondering how long a session will last? That totally depends on your child-as you can see-they will let you know when they’ve had enough!
